


Oh God, They Were Flat Mates!

by Amanveth



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bonding, Cooking, Drama, Flatmate AU, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Happy Ending, Keith and Shiro are half siblings, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, astronomy student keith, bi disaster lance, biology student lance, former secret service member krolia, injured keith, keith gets his scars, keiths dad lives, knife fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 17:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16521578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amanveth/pseuds/Amanveth
Summary: After Hunk moves in with his girlfriend, Shay, Lance is in need of a new flat mate. He's lucky to find one in Keith, but that guy just has to be stupidly handsome, doesn't he? It's just Lance's luck, that his new flat mate turns out to be not only eye candy but also a nice guy that he gets along well with. But he can't hit on the guy living with him, can he?





	Oh God, They Were Flat Mates!

“Male, 21 years old student looking for flat mate for flat with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, living room, large balcony. Preferably someone around the same age, non-smoker, pets allowed. Rent 250.00 per month for each of us.”

Lance had been mildly desperate when he had placed the ad online and on the university blackboard. After Hunk moved together with his girlfriend, Shay, the flat was strangely empty. So, he decided to look for someone new to share it.

The flat was great. It was quite spacious and well maintained. Lance had loved how much light came in through the large arched windows. The balcony was big enough to fit a sofa set and a table, as well as some pots with flowers and kitchen herbs. Lance had put up some lanterns, giving a cozy atmosphere to sit outside on warm summer nights.

The living room was divided from the hallway with a large arch instead of a door. It added to the openness of the flat, and it had caught Lance’s eye the second they looked at the flat the first time.

The kitchen wasn’t very large, but enough so to allow space to cook without bumping into everything as well as fitting a table with four chairs. It certainly didn’t have the newest appliances, but everything was functioning. And in case it was not, their landlord was reliable to take care of it as fast as possible.

The bathroom was quite nice, with both a shower and a bath tub, as well as their own washing machine. There was enough space left to fit a cabinet with towels and all their personal hygiene stuff. Both bedrooms were about the same size, which made choosing rooms a non-issue.

Lance had painted his walls in a pastel blue, most of his furniture was white or light wood. He didn’t want his room to look dark. His bed stood in the corner furthest from the door. The wall next to his bed was plastered with fairy lights and photographs, postcards and drawings of his friends and family.

He loved that wall. Whenever he found himself missing his family, he sat onto his bed and stared at the photographs. They would remind him of the loudness and chaos of his home and all the fond memories. Between them were photographs of Hunk, Pidge and himself placed as well. The wall was physical proof of the love he felt for his friends and family and vice-versa.

His desk was rather well organized, to keep (kinda) on top of his studying. On a few shelves were books and decorative items, as well as the succulent collection he had started when he was still young. In the corner next to it stood his guitar. He didn’t play that often anymore, but he liked to keep it close by.

He and Hunk had moved in when they were just 18 years old, and it had been very close to university, giving them the luxury of sleeping in a bit in the mornings. Also, the flat was in a perfect area. Both a coffee shop and supermarket where rather close by.

When some guy named Keith called him, asking about the details, Lance had tried his best to get him to move in. Because honestly, he didn’t want to carry the rent completely by himself. He had questioned the guy a bit and tried to get some information from him.

He was just a year older than Lance, and no he didn’t smoke and neither did he drink excessively. He was a student as well and owned a cat. Which was pretty much all that he said (and he said it matter-of-factly in about one breath, as if he’d practiced it beforehand). Keith was willing to pay the rent and move in by the weekend, so Lance had been pretty satisfied.

 

Saturday morning, the doorbell rang. Lance and Keith hadn’t seen each other yet, and Lance was a bit awestruck by the other’s looks. Keith’s hair was long and dark, bangs falling into his face, the back grown out and reaching past his shoulders. And somehow, it looked incredibly soft and full of volume.

His eyes were dark, and their shape made Lance wonder if Keith was partially Asian. His jaw was well defined, the sharp curve of the bone leading Lance’s gaze down over the neck and built shoulders. He was lean, but the fitting red shirt gave away the movement of solid muscle underneath.

Tight black jeans hugged his long legs just right and with every second that passed, Lance knew he was a goner. This was just his luck. Getting a flat mate, but of course he had to be the best-looking guy Lance had seen in the past year. Fuck.

Even though he really wanted to test his newest pickup lines on him, Lance was able to restrain himself. Instead, he asked Keith if he should help getting his things. Keith thanked him but declined the offer, saying he didn’t have too many things. And surely enough, after not even an hour, Keith seemed to be mostly set.

 

Just three weeks later, Lance was sitting in a kitchen that was very much not his own, wooden cabinets shades too dark and the entirety of the room too big. The smell of freshly cooked stir fry still hung in the air while Lance and Hunk already enjoyed the food. Lance was always happy to eat Hunk’s cooking, because even though he could cook, his best friend was in culinary school and the dishes simply divine.

Still, it was weird sitting in this foreign flat with Hunk. He had given him a tour around it after Shay had left to meet with some friends and Lance agreed that it was a beautiful and homely place. But seeing his best friend in the flat he shared with his girlfriend was bittersweet.

“He has a mullet, Hunk! A mullet! That hasn’t been trendy since… at least thirty years!”

“Does it matter as long as he’s being a reasonable flat mate and pays his part of the rent?”

“I guess not! But still…”

Hunk laughed softly, taking another mouthful of stir fry. “Is he at least a decent guy?”

“I guess? Can’t say much about him, really.” The Cuban shrugged. There wasn’t much to tell about Keith, apart from his hairstyle and the fact he seemed to come back home quite late and seemed to be tired quite often. But yeah, he was a reasonable flat mate, making sure he didn’t make much noise when he came back. Lance only ever caught him coming back home late when he was still awake anyways, sitting on the balcony and looking at the sky.

They hadn’t talked a lot either, Keith seemed to be the kind of guy that enjoyed being on his own.

“Is his cat at least cute?”

“Oh god, buddy! Red is so cute! He wanted to keep her in his room…” Lance stopped, putting some chicken in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing. “But I told him it’d be fine to let her walk around the flat. We’ve put up a net on the balcony, so she won’t get hurt. I mean, I wanted a cat anyways, so now I kind of got one?”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll get to meet Mr. Mullet and his cat in a while?”

“Buddy, you definitely have to come over. You need to see the train wreck that is his hair, I tell you.”

A huffed laughter, a fork scraping against the plate. “You’re really obsessed with his hair, it seems.”

“I’m not obsessed, his hair is like it’s possessed him. Like a demon or something.”

Another huff. “Lance, is he cute? Because you’re blushing.”

“Am not,” Lance quickly said, ignoring the warmth in his cheeks.

“Sure are,” Hunk said with a smile.

“He might be. A tiny bit. His eyes are nice? I mean I didn’t get a good look at them but they’re dark. Probably dark brown or black? He’s Asian, I think, it’d make sense.”

“Wait, Keith and Asian? You don’t mean Keith Kogane, do you?”

“… Why do you know him?!” Lance gasped, staring at his best friend. How could this happen?!

“Well I don’t know him well or anything. But he hangs out with Shiro, who’s Matts best friend. So, I’ve seen him around when I went over to the Holts to see Pidge.”

“How come I never saw him? Also… Shiro? You mean Takashi Shirogane, the space pilot?!”

“I mean it’s not like he’s over often I think? But I have definitely seen him. And yes, do we know any other Shiro’s?”

Lance mulled it over while stabbing some veggies and meat onto his fork. So, Keith basically knew half of his friend circle, but they had never met each other before? Weird. But if he hung around the Holt house, then Pidge had to know more about him.

Maybe he should ask her about Keith, considering he’d probably not get many answers about himself from him? On the other hand, this wasn’t fair, so he might just try to get along well with Keith anyways.

 

A few more weeks passed, and Lance didn’t see Keith too often. Their schedules seemed to completely mismatch and when Keith was home, he often stayed in his room. So, Lance was quite surprised to come home the day before summer break and not see Keith’s door shut. Instead, music was heard from the radio in the kitchen, and a chopping noise came from there as well.

“Lance?” Keith called out, the chopping didn’t stop.

“Yeah?” “Did you already eat or…?”

Lance walked over to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. Keith stood there, wearing grey sweatpants and a black shirt. His hair was up in a small ponytail, and he was chopping away on some onions. On the counter were a few small glass bottles.

“I didn’t, no,” Lance answered, looking curiously at the bottles. The dark one was probably soy sauce. The other… sake, maybe?

“Well, I hope you like Japanese food… I uhm, am not very skilled in cooking anything not Japanese yet,” the other replied, pushing the onions into a pot and reaching for a greenish white radish.

“I like Japanese, yeah. Can I help you with something?”

“No, thanks, it’s fine. There isn’t much to do once I chopped the meat other than throw everything in and let it simmer.”

Keith put the knife down, waiting for the onions to brown. He leaned his back against the counter and looked at Lance with an undefinable expression. “I… I know I haven’t been the best flat mate until now and haven’t really talked much to you or anything. I’m sorry. I was kinda busy with studying my ass off for important exams and trying to still stay on top of my training regimen as well as working part time as a server. So, I dunno, I thought we could eat together. Get to know each other a bit.”

The Cuban boy swallowed. That ponytail was a really, really good look. It made the sharp line of Keith’s jaw much more apparent. “Sounds good, yeah. Also, I understand, balancing everything is hard sometimes.”

Keith’s mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile. “Yeah, it is sometimes. But I’ll take it easy for a bit now, take an actual break.”

“What do you study anyways?”

“Astronomy. I uh, kinda always was fascinated with the stars and space, so it was natural for me to choose. What about you?”

“Biology. I want to become a marine biologist. Guess we’ll both help exploring rather unknown areas one day,” Lance said with a grin, sitting down at the table.

Keith went back to his cooking, a small smile on his face. “I guess.”

Lance couldn’t help but stare at the curve of Keith’s neck, the pale skin that was usually covered by his dark hair now revealed.

“By the way, I’ve heard you hang around the Holt’s place?” “

You know them?”

“Pidge is a friend of mine. So’s Matt, but I don’t see him as often. My best buddy also said he knows you. Hunk Garret?”

“Oh, yeah, the big guy. I’ve seen him around. Matt is my half-brother’s best friend, so sometimes I go over to them too.”

“Wait wait wait! Your half-brother. Don’t tell me that’s Takashi Shirogane?!”

“You know Shiro?”

“Yeah, no, kind of? I mean I’ve seen him once or twice at the Holt’s, and I know he’s been to space. He’s your half-brother?!”

Keith nodded, while adding the meat to the pot. “Yeah. We’re seven years apart though.”

“Woah… Did you grow up together, or…?” 

Keith shrugged, getting rid of the food scraps and packaging.

“My dad was only 18 when his former girlfriend was pregnant. They never married, that’s why his name is Shirogane, it’s his mother’s maiden name. My dad and his mom split up soon after he was born though and a few years after my dad met my mom and they had me. Shiro… his mother died in a car crash, just a few weeks before I was born. But since dad had accepted him as his son, they found dad and asked him if he’d take care of Shiro. Else he would have gone in the foster system.”

Lance was at a loss of words. He had only met Shiro once or twice, but he radiated such a strength and confidence, one wouldn’t think he’d experienced such a terrible loss at such young age. “That’s… that’s terrible.”

“It is. Dad talked about it with my mom, and mom made it clear that she wouldn’t let him get taken into the foster system, so that was that. Shiro and I grew up together. He was always there for me, even when I was declared an orphan.”

“Your parents died?”

Keith stirred in the pot, pouring some liquids in. “It’s… complicated. They went on a cruise alone when I was 11. Shiro was home and took care of me. The… the ship crashed, there were a few survivors, but Mom and Dad weren’t among them. Neither among the bodies they found… But after a while, they were eventually declared dead. I would have gone to a foster family or into an orphanage, if Shiro hadn’t done everything to get custody of me, even though he was just 18 at that time.”

“That’s… That’s amazing. You two seem really close.”

“I was a bit of a discipline case after all this. But Shiro always was with me, didn’t give up on me,” Keith said, sitting down on one of the other chairs. A fond smile curved his lips.

“Eventually, they found my parents alive after four years. They had washed up on a tiny island and managed to survive for so long.”

Lance was left gaping. This sounded like a story out of a novel. “They must be really tough If they managed to survive like that.”

Keith grinned, slight pride showing. “Well, my dad used to be a firefighter. He’s a mechanic now though, he wanted to work something calmer. My mom… She’s something,” he said, getting up to stir in the pot again.

Lance looked at him curiously, waiting to hear details.

“She’s worked for the secret service and was a personal bodyguard to vice president Elena Sanchez. And she’s a five times MMA champion. You don’t want to get on her bad side.” Keith added, taking out a spoon to taste the broth.

“What the hell- come on, you’re shitting me!”

Keith laughed. “Promise, I’m not. You can google her, it’ll pop up.”

“What’s her first name?”

“You’re seriously googling her? Krolia.”

“I am. How do you spell that?”

“Like you say. K-R-O-L-I-A. Last name Kogane. K-O-G-A-N-E.”

Lance typed away on his phone, googling and eventually being met with a face that looked a lot like Keith’s. Except more feminine. There were photographs of her competing. The competition photos showed her with purple face paint, a streak of color coming from behind her neck up over her jaw on either side of her face, pointy ends on her cheeks. And man, she was seriously muscular. Also, just like his flat mate had told, five times MMA champion.

He flicked through a few photographs and had to admit that she was a beautiful woman. Looking over to Keith, who was occupied doing something with eggs and cooking rice, he had to admit that her good genes definitely carried over to Keith.

“Your mom dyes her hair purple? That is so cool. Also, contacts for that whole purple aesthetics?”

Keith huffed a laughter, cracking another egg inside a different pot. “She does dye her hair purple, yes. But the eyes are natural, mine are the same.”

Lance stilled. On the photographs, it was perfectly clear that the eyes were a beautiful shade of purple. But any time he had seen Keith, he’d been sure that he had brown or black eyes. “…they are? I was sure they’re brown or so.”

The other man shook his head, draining the rice and taking out bowls. “Depends on lighting. If you happen to see me in bright daylight, it’s a different story.”

The Cuban was intrigued. Now he really did want to see Keith out in the sun, with the bright purple he’d seen on Krolia’s photographs.

“What about your family?” Keith asked, still occupied with the pots.

“Oh boy. I have a huge family. You know, these huge families with tons of siblings and aunts and uncles and nephews – and practically all of them living within a 10-minute walk of each other? That’s what it’s like. But I love it. I always had people around me when I was growing up. Coming here to study was kind of a shock, suddenly being for myself so much.”

The hint of a smile played on Keith’s lips as he started to fill the bowls with food. He put one in front of Lance, and the Cuban boy couldn’t help but feel his mouth starting to salivate. “God, this smells good!”

“You may call me Keith, but thanks,” the other said, sitting down opposite of him.

Lance laughed. “Thank you for the food.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lance started to eat slowly, deliberately tasting all the different flavors. Keith, on the other side of the table, hummed softly and seemed to be happy with the result of his cooking.

“Well, now I’ll have to cook ropa vieja for you sometime,” Lance said between two bites. “I think you’ll like it. Braised beef with vegetables.”

Keith smiled slightly, nodding. “Sounds delicious. Looking forward to it.”

They ate while chatting about studies and life in general, then cleaned up the kitchen together. They both seemed to share the idea to move this to the balcony, so they grabbed their glasses and sat onto the wicker furniture. It was warm enough still, and Red happily followed them outside, settling down next to Keith and falling asleep.

 

One of them both cooking became an easy routine, often followed by evenings spent watching movies or sitting on the balcony together. They got to know each other better, and they eventually went from just flat mates to actual friends.

If he was honest with himself, Lance was amazed at what an easygoing person Keith actually was. He had apologized about being weird, he was socially awkward, always had been. But getting to know him better and talking with him made Lance feel more like people probably just reduced him onto that first impression.

 

Weeks after they had first spent an entire evening together, they sat on the balcony again, basking in the last rays of sunshine for the day. They had settled on the wicker seats, freshly made iced tea in front of them - courtesy to Lance’s stubbornness at wanting to make it himself.

Keith’s phone vibrated quickly, he looked at it and let out a huffed laugh. Briefly, Lance wondered what made him laugh, but it was none of his business. The other boy shook his head, typed something on the screen to answer.

“I swear to god, if Shiro doesn’t bring me one of these, he’s no longer my brother,” he muttered, still laughing softly. He turned his phone, showing the message he had gotten.

The chat read “Brogane” and below was a message with a photo attached.

_I’m getting you one of these, last time I sat on your bike I thought you’d kill me_ it read, the photo showing a pink decal with a rainbow and the text “Sorry, can’t drive straight, I’M GAY” on it.

Below, Keith had answered _I don’t drive that bad_ and doubling up, _but I want it anyways_. Lance chuckled at that.

It took him about a solid half minute until he fully realized the implications of Shiro sending Keith that decal. And the implications of Keith wanting it. “…Y-You- you’re... Gay…” Lance stammered in shock, swallowing wrong on his iced tea and starting to cough.

Keith was gay and that meant maybe he did have a tiny little chance. It was stupid, but maybe, just maybe, there might grow more between them. And if not, heck he’d have a gay buddy that he could talk about boys with. Which was exactly what was missing in his friend circle.

Lance swallowed heavily. God, he wanted to try and ask Keith out, but he didn’t want to make things awkward. It was so dumb, even though he had thought he was a prick at first, Lance had this silly crush on him. Just because of that stupidly pretty face. And that Keith turned out to be a genuinely nice person didn’t help either.

While Lance still fought with himself, trying to say anything that wasn’t dumb or begging him to try a date with him, Keith had waited for another word. It didn’t seem like it would come, and he was getting fed up with it. Great, he’d done it. Fucked himself over. He swallowed hard, got up and stormed in the safety of his own room.

Keith let himself fall onto his bed, face first into his fluffy pillow. He was the dumbest person on the planet. Great work, making Lance hate him. He should have just kept quiet. He thought that maybe, Lance would think it’s funny, and would laugh too.

He’d maybe say something along the lines of “Oh well, I’m not into guys, but that’s a funny sticker and you do you.” At least that’s what Keith had hoped. But no, it seemed that him coming out as gay was a real shocker to Lance.

Oh. Did he need to pack? If it was such an issue, Lance probably wouldn’t want him here anymore. Slowly, the realization of what he just lost settled. He’d have to move out of the flat. Which wasn’t that big an issue, he could move back with his parents or even Shiro. But… he’d also lost Lance as a friend.

Keith bit his lower lip, hoisting himself up. What had he just wanted to do? Packing your things, his brain provided. Right. Would he be okay just grabbing a backpack full of his stuff yet and spend the night somewhere, then come back to get the rest of his things? Or should he pack everything immediately?

Well, probably depended on how much Lance hated gays. Keith took a shivering breath. That just… sounded so wrong. Lance never seemed like a hateful person, he never let through that he had a problem with people of other sexualities… But his reaction clearly was very shocked. And not positively shocked in a “oh wow, you’re gay too” way. More like “oh god, you’re gay, this can’t be true”.

And it hurt. A lot. Something inside him had told him the whole time. Don’t let him get too close, people only ever hurt you. But no, he had let Lance get closer and closer. Inching his way into his life. Into his heart. Of course, it hurt. He’d gladly let beautiful, radiant Lance inside, washing away his walls like summer rain with dirt on a street.

Keith had never expected anything less than to get his heart broken. Heck, he practically asked for it! It was his own fault, as usual. He grabbed his backpack and opened his wardrobe. A soft knock came from his door.

“Keith?” Lance’s voice was soft, careful even.

“You don’t have to be scared. The evil gay won’t hurt you, you know?” he answered, bitterness evident in his voice.

“Can I come in? Please.”

“Do what you want, it’s your flat.”

“It’s our flat, and this is your room.”

“I moved in with you, so it’s your flat.”

“You pay half of the rent, so it’s ours. So, can I come in? Please? We need to talk.” There was a soft thud at the door, but it still didn’t open.

“Sorry I didn’t mention it when I applied for the flat,” Keith said softly. He probably should have told Lance beforehand. It was his own fault.

“What?”

“Me being gay. I should have told you. That way you could have… chosen someone you’d be more comfortable with. I’m... I’m just… grabbing a few things. I’ll be gone in fifteen, I’ll move out my things while you’re at your yoga class tomorrow morning. When you’re back… It’ll be like I was never here, promise. Don’t worry, I’ll pay the rent for this month still. So, you have time to look for someone.”

Another soft thud against the door. “I don’t’ want you to move out, Keith,” Lance muttered through the door. “Can I come in? Please.”

“Fine.”

Very carefully, the wooden door was pushed open and the Cuban slipped into the room.

He looked at Keith, who had taken out a few clothes out of his closet and piled them next to the backpack on the bed.

“I really don’t want you to move out. Keith, I have no problem with you being gay.”

“Didn’t look like you have no problem with it. You seemed very shocked.”

“Yeah? Because I was sure you’d be straight. You didn’t strike me as gay like some guys do.”

Keith huffed. “Stereotypes. Shiro and I are both Asian and don’t have the same face either, surprise.”

An exasperated sound came from Lance. “That’s not what I mean! I just – my gaydar was not working I guess! Because normally I know when someone is not straight! I used to do a lot of flirting with girls and guys and I didn’t catch a straight guy or lesbian more than once or twice!”

Surprised, Keith stared at Lance for a second. His eyes were strikingly blue in the light of Keith’s overhead lamp and his face looked on equal parts annoyed and desperate.

“It’s not a bad thing you’re gay, Keith. I was surprised, nothing more. It’s cool. It really is. I mean, I’m bi. So you being gay is… neat.”

“Yeah, neat.” Keith swallowed hard. Lance liked guys too. Should he -? _No, no, no, no. Keith Kogane, you two have a fragile bond and you will not destroy the only friendship you made in years for your dumb crush._

“You probably haven’t seen it yet, but my favorite shirt has Walking Bi-saster printed on it.”

“Oh God, that’s equally amazing and horrible,” Keith answered while he tried to hide a grin.

“I guess. But it’s fun. So, are we good again, buddy?”

“We are. Sorry about that.”

“Sorry as well, I really didn’t mean to come across… homophobic.”

Keith smiled and was glad that the issue had resolved itself.

The two of them were able to fall back into their easy routine. Lance both loved and hated it. He fell more in love with his flat mate with every passing day, and it was becoming more and more difficult. And honestly, a one-sided crush just fucking sucked.

 

Lance grinned happily as warm breath ghosted against his neck, making him shiver. A hand smoothing along his thigh, moving below it and pulling him in closer. Lance gasped at the sensation, pressing against the other warm body. His hands found a shoulder, ran down over a toned chest and stopping at a slim waist. He kissed Keith gently, fisting his fingers into his shirt.

“You’re beautiful,” Keith whispered, kissing down his neck.

Lance couldn’t help but smile, huff a laughter and mumble a weak “Coming from the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen…” His hands held onto Keith’s waist, pulling him impossibly closer. God, he loved him so much.

Keith softly bit into his collarbone, making him laugh softly and bury one of his hands into the soft black hair. He gently played with the strands, earning soft, satisfied noises from Keith, feeling him relax into their embrace.

 

Lance woke up with a start. He gasped for air, pushing his blanket off him in an attempt to escape the terrible heat of his bedroom in the middle of the hottest summer weeks. Slowly, his heartrate and breathing calmed down. His eyes darted to the side of his bed. Empty.

When did Keith- wait. “Oh my god,” Lance groaned, falling back into his pillow. He had not just dreamt about making out with Keith. “Please no, I was screwed before already and that was enough!” He whined, pushing one of his other pillows onto his face in a fake attempt to smother himself.

Okay, he knew he had a very, very bad crush on Keith. Bad enough, that he apparently now dreamt of kissing and touching him. As if trying to hide a baby crush wasn’t already difficult itself! But of course, Lance wouldn’t be Lance if he wasn’t digging his own grave even deeper himself.

How should he continue facing Keith every day? Especially now that they had become quite good friends? Lance sighed. He needed a date, someone to sweep him off his feet more than Keith did. Much more. Someone who was so gorgeous, he’d forget about him.

So, he decided to go to a club in the evening. It had been a while since he was out, most evenings spent either studying, meeting his friends or cooking and being lazy with Keith. But it was time he put a stop to his misery, and where else was the possibility of meeting a potential boyfriend or girlfriend candidate better, then in a club?

When Lance left his bedroom, the smell of fresh coffee hit him.

“Morning, want a cup?” Keith asked him when he entered the kitchen.

The Cuban made an affirmative noise. Seeing Keith first thing in the morning after this dream was… not ideal. It only reminded him that he’d never be like that with him. All… lovey-dovey. Lance put sugar and creamer in his coffee, sighing softly after the first sip.

“What do you think of ordering Chinese in for dinner today? Or do you have plans?” Keith sat down across from him, coffee in his hand.

“Won’t be here in the evening,” Lance answered, a yawn interrupting him. “I want to go out clubbing, haven’t been in a while.”

“Oh. Okay, have fun then.” Keith seemed a tiny bit disappointed.

“Thanks. I will.”

Keith got up, coffee still in his hands and busied himself with feeding Red, who had meowed at him pitifully. If he had any problems with Lance not being home in the evening, he didn’t show it too much. He knelt next to his cat and pet her fur while she ate. After that, he went back to his room, probably to clean or study.

Lance on the other hand couldn’t wait for evening to come. He started getting ready in the afternoon, taking great care of his appearance and making sure he looked his absolute best. Picking out a perfect outfit also was at least an hour’s worth of work. He settled for tight black jeans and a short sleeved turquoise button-down. He liked it because it made the color of his eyes pop more and the color stood out more against his tan skin.

 

When the time was finally reasonably late, he said goodbye to Keith and left their flat. The club he planned to go to wasn’t very far, a 15-minute walking distance. Not far enough for Lance to consider taking his car, especially since he planned on getting a drink or two.

He enjoyed being out and about after such a long time. The bass of the music thrummed through his body as he entered the club. There was already a sizeable crowd occupying the dancefloor, the bar and the sitting area. The colorful flashing lights made him feel a little drunk already, he felt happy to be in a crowd full of people enjoying themselves.

How come he hadn’t missed this all this time? It’s been weeks since he last was here, weeks of spending his evenings and weekends holed up in his flat with Keith or sitting in coffee shops or outside with friends. Lance settled at the bar, ordering a drink for himself.

It didn’t take long until a guy around his age sat down at the bar, just one empty seat between them. Lance looked him over, his dark hair was a bit longer in the front and shaved in the back. The bangs were swept over his face and a bit tousled. From what he could make out, his face was attractive, a sharp jaw and full lips.

“Like what you see?” The guy spoke up, lips quirking into a grin.

An unspoken challenge. One that Lance wouldn’t lose. He hummed, looking him over once more. “Definitely not bad.”

“Neither are you. The name’s Jake. You are?”

“Lance.”

“Nice to meet you, Lance. May I get you a drink?”

 

Jake was easy to be around. He was a nice guy, with a soothing presence. Lance found himself enjoying his company, having multiple drinks with him before they went to dance for a while, only to get back to having drinks.

He was having fun, and he didn’t think about Keith. At least not often. He definitely planned on grabbing Jake’s phone number before leaving, the evening was fun, and he felt like Jake may be the one he needed to forget Keith.

“It’s… really getting late. I should… go home,” Lance muttered against Jake’s neck. They were back to dancing now, arms around each other.

“Let me bring you home. Make sure you get home safe.”

The Cuban swooned and nodded. What a gentleman. Shortly after, they went on their way back to Lance’s flat.

 

“Just so we’re clear, I’m not taking you inside, I have a shared flat.”

“No worries, I don’t plan on that,” Jake answered, his arm winding around Lance’s waist. He tightened his grip and pulled him into an alley.

“No, no, we need to keep walking straight ahead,” Lance chided before he felt Jake’s lips against his.

He chuckled softly, pressing against him. Lance hummed softly as strong arms held onto his hips. It wasn’t Keith, but it wasn’t bad at all. Maybe he could really get over him. His hands moved to Jake’s arms, lightly pushing to get some distance between them again. Jake stood solid like a rock against him.

Fingers were working on his belt, and Lance gently shoved the other boy off. “Sorry, but… not here, not now. I’m not that easy.”

Suddenly, he was pushed back into the wall harshly, a hand around his throat. The dark eyes that seemed to be full of fire before were now stone cold. “I didn’t ask for permission, princess.”

A sly smirk played on Jake’s lips, as his fingers tightened around Lance’s throat. “You better behave now, wouldn’t want to seriously hurt such a pretty thing,” he said.

“You… I can… report you… Police…” Lance pressed, feeling how difficult speaking was with the pressure on his neck.

Jake laughed. “You have nothing against me. Report me all you want, you don’t even have my real name. I’m not remotely from this area, so have fun trying to find me.” His fingers were back on working on Lance’s belt again, opening it and pulling his pants down.

He closed his eyes, just hoping for this to get over. His mind was racing, begging every higher being to survive this and get back to his family, his friends and Keith, save. Whatever was going to happen, he just had to survive it.

Lance struggled as much as he could with his airway being blocked every few moments. It was done deliberately, just enough so he’d stay conscious, but not enough that he’d stop feeling dizzy. “Please… Don’t.” He gasped softly, before he felt the hand tighten again, the other moving to tug at his underwear.

“Lance?”

“Keith! Help!” It took Lance all power he could summon to call out to him. He was never happier to see him stand there, at the entrance to the alley, looking confused but at the same time glaring daggers at Jake.

“Mind your own business, pal. We’re just having fun,” he said, winking at Keith.

Desperately, Lance hoped that Keith saw that this was far from him having fun. He looked at him pleading, mouthing “Please. Help.”

Keith walked closer. “Look, I suggest you leave him alone. He’s clearly not having as much fun as you are.”

Jake’s Hands were still on the Cuban’s thighs, his face clearly annoyed. “Didn’t I just tell you to mind your own business? Are you deaf?”

“If you’re obviously harassing my friend, it is my business.”

“I’m doing nothing he doesn’t want.”

“Doesn’t look like he wants it, in my opinion.” Keith said, standing just a few steps away from them now.

If he weren’t completely in over his head in this situation, Lance would probably have been embarrassed, standing in front of Keith half nude. But right now, he only wanted to get home and cuddle up on their couch and forget everything that happened.

He was relieved when he felt Jake let go of him, hands leaving his thighs finally. Lance’s legs gave out and he fell to the ground, shivering with nerves. Jake turned so fast, he only saw the glint of something, only managed to get out a weak noise before Keith cried out in pain.

He held his shoulder, a long cut going down over his collarbone and down to his chest. He huffed in pain, blocking the next attack with his left arm. Lance couldn’t help but stare at them, Keith fighting back against Jake with amazing skills.

Lance wanted to help him, he was up against someone with a knife after all, and Keith only used hand to hand combat. But whenever Lance tried to get up, his legs still felt like jelly and gave out below him.

Keith held his own against his attacker, but after a nasty punch into his injured shoulder he was distracted by pain. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge fully, and the knife cut over his jaw and into the soft flesh of his cheek. Blood was running down and dripping from his chin.

When Jake charged forward again, knife held dangerously on chest-height, Keith was able to turn around, letting him run past him. A hard kick into his back sent Jake stumbling, Keith ran after him and knocked him out with a precise punch to his neck.

Lance crawled over the ground with what little strength he could muster. “Keith! Oh God, you’re bleeding! We need to get you to a hospital!”

Keith sat on the ground for a moment, wrapping his arms around him. “You’re okay. Oh god, you’re okay.”

“Yeah, but you aren’t!”

“Police. We need to call them… Shiro…” Keith muttered against his neck, both still trembling.

 

Keith made a quick deal of calling the police, then calling Shiro to drive him to the hospital to get fixed up. Lance insisted on coming with them, so he left his contact info with the police officers. At the hospital, they cleaned and sew Keith’s wounds and gave him medication for the pain.

The nurses insisted on Keith staying for at least half an hour and brought them drinks and snacks to get something in their bodies. After a while, the door was pulled open and a tall woman entered the room. “Oh God, Keith! Are you okay?!”

Lance recognized her from the photos he had seen – Keith’s mother. Behind her, a man – his father – was entering the room as well, face full of worry.

Keith smiled softly, embracing his mother and after that his father as well. Krolia inspected his injuries, brows knitted together with concern. When they both had made sure their son was still mostly in one piece and taken care of well, they turned to Lance to introduce themselves. Lance shook their hands and couldn’t help but feel guilty. It was his fault, Keith got hurt, after all. If he hadn’t fallen right into Jake’s trap…

He looked at the bandages over Keith’s shoulder and cheek. There definitely would be scarring, the nurses had said. Lance swallowed hard. Keith would never be able to look into a mirror again without seeing that scar. All because he had been too weak to defend himself.

It seemed like an eternity until they had told the whole story and Keith was given the okay to leave the hospital. The Kogane parents drove them home, before exiting the car Keith had to promise them to take care of his wounds like the nurses instructed him.

 

They went up into their flat silently. There was so much Lance wanted to say, but he didn’t know how. When they entered the living room, he finally was able to press a soft “Thank you,” out of his lips.

The other boy looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“You… you saved me. Thank you.”

“Oh. It’s okay.” Keith’s answer was nonchalant. As if it wasn’t a big deal, as if he hadn’t risked his life.

It frustrated him greatly. “It will never be okay, Keith,” he softly said. He watched him startle, as if he’d said something bad.

“Well, sorry that I didn’t want you to get hurt,” he said, face scrunched up.

“No, I mean… You risked your life. That’s nowhere near okay. You could have died. To protect me.”

Keith shrugged it off, muttering so softly that Lance nearly missed it: “Worse ways to go then protecting the person you love…” His eyes widened as he seemed to realize he’d said it out loud, then he turned around and went out onto the balcony.

Lance’s heart beat faster and for a moment he just stared after Keith in shock. It took him a minute or two to gather his thoughts, then he joined Keith.

“You… you love me?” he asked softly, a smile on his lips. Keith didn’t turn around, resting his arms on the railing and staring into the dark night sky.

He took a deep breath, broad shoulders rising and falling. “I’m… sorry. I haven’t been honest with you all this time. I’ve had… feelings for you since short after I moved in. I never did anything weird, I promise…” One of his hands moved to rub his neck. Lance knew Keith well enough to know it was something he did when he felt insecure.

A huffed laughter escaped Lance. “Really? That long? God, you’re either really good at hiding or I’m fucking oblivious.”

Keith shrugged. “I tried being careful, so you wouldn’t notice. I didn’t want to make things weird. I mean, I totally get it if you want me to move out. After what happened today, I understand if you can’t trust me to not… do something.”

“Are you implying you think that I think you’d do something like that to me?”

Again, Keith shrugged. “No. I only said I can understand if you weren’t completely sure that I wouldn’t do something like that. “

Lance snorted. “Yeah, bullshit. I don’t think you’d risk your life saving me from getting raped, just to rape me yourself. Also, you’re Keith. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t. I trust you.”

Keith’s lips twitched into an ever so slight smile.

“Also,” Lance said, stepping closer to him and gently touching his shoulder, “I’ve pretty much instantly crushed on you when I first saw you. Hard. And I might have gone out today hoping to forget my huge crush on the very attractive and amazing guy I’m sharing my living space with.”

Lance smiled at him softly, fingers brushing over the skin exposed over his collar. Keith’s head whipped around, looking at him with awe. He turned around fully, putting his hands on Lance’s hips and pulled him into a gentle hug.

Desperate, Lance held onto him. One of his hands moved to Keith’s jaw, tilting him downwards. They met in a gentle kiss, lips brushing against each other. When they parted, Keith laughed softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

They sat down on the wicker sofa, huddled together with a blanket and coffee. Both knew they wouldn’t be able to sleep soon after all that happened, so they stayed outside, looked at the stars and talked.

After a while, Red joined them, jumping onto the sofa and rolling herself into a small bundle in Lance’s lap. He gently pet her, fingers running through her soft fur. “I think she likes me,” he softly said.

“Of course, she does. She knows I like you too.”

“She does?” He asked with a slight grin.

“Who do you think I was rambling to about my crush for you?”

Lance laughed. “Maybe Shiro?”

“Oh god no, he would have talked me into making a grand confession. Like he did for Adam.”

“I would have liked that.”

“I’m sure you would have.” Keith moved to kiss his temple, lips gently resting against the warm skin for a moment.

“But saving my life like a knight in shining armor was great too. You really held yourself, I’m still very impressed.”

“Well, mom taught me how to fight when I was still a kid. I’ve got years of training with her and later sparring with Shiro. That jackass was good though, else I would have been able to get the knife away from him.”

Softly sighing, Lance gently touched Keith’s jaw. “You’ll never get rid of the scars.”

“Is it a problem?” Keith asked, eyes full of worry. “I know I probably won’t… look… good.”

“It is a problem.”

“Oh.”

“Not the way you think, idiot. You’ll still look as handsome as ever, I know it. It’ll probably give you a rugged-handsome look.”

The other softly laughed at that. “But?”

“Even if we break up one day, you’ll still have it… Forever a reminder of what you did f- “before Lance could finish, he was pulled into a kiss.

Keith’s fingers played with his hair and he leaned into the touch. Kissing and touching Keith was addicting, he decided. He was like fire itself, both gentle warmth and fierce heat. He didn’t want to let go of him, ever.

 

“So, and that’s my favorite story. The story of how we both were stupid, pining teenagers with a crush on each other, but it took me getting molested and Keith turning up as my savior to actually get us together. Also, thanks babe for letting me know what you thought at that time, because the story is definitely more fun like this,” Lance said, laughing softly.

“And ever since then, he’s been attached like a leech,” Keith said, grin on his lips.

“Rich coming from the guy who’s hugging me so hard during the nights, I need 15 Minutes each morning to remove your arms.” The crowd laughed, some cheering at the gentle banter.

“Also, I’ll have all cousins that used to tease me know: I probably have the most badass mother in law now, so you better behave!” Lance said, looking over to Krolia. She sat next to her husband, wine glass raised to take a sip, but was distracted by his joke and laughed while giving him a thumbs up with her free hand.

He looked over the tables full of people dear to him. His friends, his family. People that had grown dear to him, like Keith’s friends and family. And friends they made together along the way. All people, that were important in their lives.

“Really though, we want to thank each and everyone of you for being here tonight with us. It means the world. Four years ago, I wouldn’t have dared to dream of this day,” Keith said, gently putting his hand over Lance’s on the microphone. “But we’re here now, celebrating our love and our families becoming one. So, let’s enjoy dinner now, courtesy of Hunk. Who I must admit – sorry mom, dad, you know I love your cooking – is the best cook I’ve ever met.”

Keith snickered, as his mother made an offended noise, booing softly. “If you talk like that, we’re leaving for our remote island again!” His dad threw in, obviously meaning no harm. Lance laughed next to him, slightly swatting at his thigh.

Table after table made their way to the huge buffet, full of delicious food. When Lance settled down again next to him, he couldn’t help but bend over and kiss him softly. Keith still felt the slight weight of the golden ring on his finger, reminding him that they were husbands now.

He felt Lance kissing just below his ear, murmuring “I love you.” His hand searched for Lance’s, and he lifted it gently. He felt the metal of the matching ring against his lips as he kissed his knuckles. The shutter of a camera clicked, a flash of light – Ryan grinned at them, pleased with the photo.

Lance started to eat, and so did Keith. It had been out of the question to ask anyone other than Hunk to make their wedding buffet. After all, he had already started a quite successful restaurant and had made quite a name for himself as a chef. Luckily, when they had gotten engaged and Lance asked him to be his best man, he had happily offered to take care of the dinner and cake.

He looked around the room, seeing all the familiar faces that were eating and chatting away, clearly enjoying themselves. Keith had been a bit of a loner for a long time, but his boyfriend – husband, he corrected himself, still amazed – had brought so many people in his life.

There were his parents in law, both excitedly chatting in Spanish. He had been nervous when meeting Lance’s family for the first time, because he’d desperately wanted them to like him. He didn’t expect for Lance’s mother to practically adopt him into the family and declare him her future son in law at the first meeting though.

It was nice. He’d always felt welcome at the McClain household. Holidays had become succeeding days of family Christmas at the Kogane and McClain household, then a large Christmas party with all the families and friends at the McClain household as well. His life had become brighter and louder since he met Lance, and he loved every minute of it.

Even though he also loved the quiet times like the warmth of an early Sunday morning, sleeping in with his loved one in his arms. Or their evenings on the balcony, talking, with the cats joining them. Red had been a bit mean to Blue first but warmed up to her new companion soon.

All in all, his life had been thoroughly improved since he and Lance got together. And he didn’t want to be apart from him any time soon. They were married now – his heart still beat faster at the thought of it, it had only been about an hour or so since their vows – and he planned to grow old with his husband.

Looking at Lance, the way those bright blue eyes looked at him, Keith knew that Lance was planning exactly the same. He bent over again, sealing the silent promise with a kiss.


End file.
